Joshua and Wilder are vulnerable but Saudi Arabia’s grip on boxing is strong

Pair should both prevail to set up showdown in Riyadh next year which also hosts Fury’s unification bout against Usyk

Saudi Arabia’s grip on heavyweight boxing will strengthen in Riyadh on Saturday night when Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder feature on a bill which promises to clear the way for the two former world champions to fight each other in the same city in March. There have been numerous reports suggesting Joshua and Wilder have already signed contracts for their showdown next year but both men, for all their shuddering power, remain vulnerable and they each face a tricky opponent this weekend.

Joshua, who seems to have lost much of the explosive spark and good cheer which once made him the wealthiest and most popular heavyweight on the planet, has looked pedestrian in his two fights this year. He defeated mediocre opposition in Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius as he made his comeback from successive world title losses to Oleksandr Usyk, and he now faces a southpaw in Otto Wallin.

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